Another Chance
by Athenaea
Summary: This girl dies in a caraccident, but wakes up in a spaceship, heading to Earth. Guess who she meets there.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: No, I don't own DBZ!!!  
  
A/N: A new fic. There is just one warning: English is not my native language, so this means a lot of errors in spelling, grammar, and maybe some misplaced words too. But, with my faithful dictionaries I hope this will be readable. But I would really appreciate it if you would point out my mistakes. Thank you!  
  
  
  
Another chance  
  
Prologue  
  
Just walking down the street, no big deal. She walked this quiet road every morning, to catch her bus, going to college. And every night, she walked back to her parents house. So, it was kind of a habbit. She always waved at the nice Mrs. Walker, who always smiled and waved back.  
  
She thought this was just going to be another ordinary night. How wrong she was. Her life was just about to end.  
  
She stepped of the boardwalk, crossing the street. Nothing was coming (look to your left, right, and left again), so it was safe. But just when she was at the middle of the street, a car raced right at her. Right before she was hit, she thought that some people should never be allowed to drive, because they didn't think about their or others safety...Then everything went black....  
  
  
  
When she woke up, she felt a little lightheaded, and her vision was a blur. She tried to focus, but every time she tried, pain flared up in the back of her head. After a while, she gave up, and thought that maybe it would help if she got some sleep, she felt awfully drowsy....  
  
Abruptly, she was pulled from her sleep, by an awfully loud noise. It was like an alarm going off. Opening her eyes, she noticed that this time, she could focus, without having an excruciating headache. But what she saw made her mind spin.  
  
What the hell was she doing in a space ship!!??  
  
It was the only logical explanation for the things she was seeing. She saw earth, like she had seen it many times on tv: a giant blue ball, with brown, white and green wipes and dots. And she assumed that she was in a very fast moving spaceship too, because earth was getting closer with an alarming speed.  
  
She had a very dark suspicion about the alarm. It meant she was going to crash. Yep, no doubt about that: big red light flickering in front of her, surrounded with a lot of fancy looking buttons. Should she press one? That large one over there? Or that red one at her left. No wait, maybe that handle in front of her?  
  
Right now she was starting to panic, her mind simply couldn't figure out what was happening to her. It just didn't make sense! One moment, she was crossing the street, and about to be hit by a car. Ok, she thought, I can deal with that, you never know what can happen to you, and getting in a carcrash is just one of the many possibilities. But waking up in a spaceship?! No way, her mind screamed at her, no way!! There was just no explanation for this!!  
  
While she had been arguing with herself, her ship had reached the ozon layer. The ship started to shake violently, so bad, that she hit her head. And just when the dark started to blur her vision (again), she thought: not another headache please. But she knew that was a stupid thing to ask....  
  
A/N: Ok, this was the prologue. I hope I managed to make you curious. Wanna read more? Let me know! 


	2. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ!  
  
  
  
Another Chance  
  
Chapter 1  
  
Slowly, she regained her consciousness, and to her pleasant surprise, she didn't have a headache; she was just feeling a little lightheaded. She kept her eyes closed, not wanting to know her situation right away. She felt she was lying in a bed, and it was very quiet around her.  
  
The alarm wasn't ringing anymore. Was that a good sign? Many questions popped up in her mind, and she was again slightly panicking. Was she still in that spaceship? Had she crashed? Was she dead? Or maybe, it had all been a bad dream, and her alarmclock would start ringing any moment now. Well, she thought, I just have to open my eyes, right?  
  
As she opened her eyes, she blinked at the bright light. She immediatley felt a dull ache in the back of her head. Maybe this wasn't the smartest thing to do. But she quickly forgot her headache when she noticed her strange surroundings. She was lying in a very simple looking bed, but it was surrounded with not so simple looking machines. While she was looking at them, she came to the conclusion that she must be in some kind of hospital. The little screen beside her head was showing something that looked like her pulse. Yes!!! She was in a hospital!!! Yes!! Ok, maybe lying in a hospital because of her carcrash wasn't such fun, but it beat the hell out of having died because of a malfunctional, crashing spaceship!  
  
She made herself a bit more comfortable in her bed. She felt good! Nothing really hurt, so that meant that she hadn't been severly wounded in the accident. But still, her body felt a little... odd. She figured that it was a normal reaction from being unconscious for some time. Her body didn't experienced that every day.  
  
Suddenly, a door at the end of her room opened, and a man walked in, looking down at some kind of parcel he held in his hands. He was apparently deep in thoughts. He was around his sixties, and had the funniest haircolor she had ever seen; a kind of greish purple, or was it purplish grey? She noticed that he had a large moustache in nearly the same color.  
  
He didn't look at her, but walked directly to one of the monitors against the wall. When he turned his back at her, she saw a tiny cat, holding on to his shoulder, but it was obviously slipping away. The man shoved it up his shoulder, and mumured something like: "Be careful, Kitty." A cat in an hospital, with a doctor? Strange...  
  
She was becoming a little unpatient. Wasn't a doctor supposed to check out his patient? She wanted to ask so many questions, and she also wanted to see her parents and tell them she was all right. They were probably very worried about her. So she spoke up:  
  
"Excuse me, sir?  
  
The man turned around real fast. And stared at her in shock.  
  
"She's awake! Kitty, she's awake! Let's tell the others! And he turned around and hastily strode out of the room, leaving her behind.  
  
Her mouth dropped. What was he doing? What kind of a doctor was he, leaving her in a state like this? Wasn't he supposed to examine her, like shining one of those irritating little lights in her eyes? She felt confused, angry,... and scared. Sh ehad just gone through a very traumatic experience (she didn't count the spaceship) and she would like to recieve some comfort and the reassurance that everything was going to be all right. Because it was, wasn't it?  
  
Her headache started to increase. She was feeling miserable now. It also scared her, that her emotions were so strong, and chaotic. Usually, they were well balanced. She wanted her parents, now! They should be here, waiting for any news, so what took them? That excuse for a doctor, should have them informed by now!  
  
She forced herself to relaxe. She closed her eyes, and tried to fight the sudden panic, flowing through her body, telling her to jolt out of her bed, and find her parents. She prayed that that doctor would soon return. This insecurity was driving her crazy!  
  
Suddenly she heard voices outside her room. She propped herself a little up, using her elbows, and waited for them to enter her room.  
  
The door was thrown open, and then a woman came running in, followed by the doctor. The woman had blue hair! She didn't have much time to wonder about it, when she saw the group of people, who had followed the doctor into the room.  
  
She gaped at them, and they gaped back; what she saw before her was the oddest group of people she had ever seen! Right in front of her stood a little man, without a nose! He was dressed in some kind of training equipement, but so were two other men. The little man was flanked by a beautiful blondine, with cold, emotionless grey eyes. She looked at the other two men. They were fairly tall. One had short black hair, and lots of scars on his face. The other was bald, but had a third eye on his forehead. Was that a tattoo or something? When the bald man shifted a little, she could see a little... child? It was as small as a child, and it looked like a china doll. But its face held a kind of wisdom, giving the implication that he wasn't a child.  
  
While she gaped at them, they stared back at her with a mixture of curiousity, wonder and... fear?  
  
The blue haired woman, together with the 'doctor', was checking out all the monitors in the room. They were whispering excitedly, and were constantly throwing glances her way. The blue haired woman suddenly came walking towards her bed, when scarface jumped before her. She blinked: she hadn't seen him move!  
  
Scarface had positioned himself between her and the woman.  
  
"Bulma, be careful now, babe! She could attack you! I know you have her sedated and all, but honest, she is a saiyan, and there's no telling what they could do!"  
  
Was he talking about her? She, a Saiyan, and attacking someone? With her headache?! This was so confusing! Who were those people! And what were they thinking about! She doubted that she was even able to sit upright, let alone jumping out her bed and attack someone!  
  
Wham! Suddenly the door was thrown open against the wall (apparently, somebody had closed it again). Two other persons entered the room.  
  
"He," yelled the blue haired woman, Bulma, "Try to keep the door in one piece, Vegeta!"  
  
She only heard that vaguely, because she was stunned by the sight of the men who walked into room.  
  
Green!  
  
One of them was... green! With large pointed ears, little antennas on his forhead, and a very strange wardrobe to make the picture of a marsman complete!  
  
She slowly raised her hand, and touched her forhead. It must be a severe headinjury! Her brains were probably smashed. Green men. Ookaay... Would she be locked away in a mental facility somewhere?  
  
She closed her eyes firmly, and opened them again. Well, it seemed to be very strong hallucination: the green man still stood there, arms crossed, looking at her with a blank look on his face.  
  
The other man, who had accompanied the green man into the room, was now advancing towards her. Was she already been hospitilazed in a freakhouse or something! She seriously started to think that, because this man wasn't normal either! He had a very strange hairdo: it shot up like a flame, defying gravity! He wasn't tall, but fairly muscled (A/N maybe an understatement...). Taking a quick look around, she noticed that every male in this room was overly muscled. But back to the flame-haired guy. He gave her the creeps; he just kept staring at her, with black eyes. She couldn't distinct the irisses from the pupils. They were like bottomless black pits, sucking her in. She shivered. He stood still before her bed, arms crossed, and continued to stare at her. Suddenly he snapped:  
  
"Name and rank!"  
  
She blinked.  
  
Bulma grapped his hand. "Now, Vegeta, I understand you want some answers, we all do, but we don't know if she's capable of answering them. She just woke up, and we still don't know what sort of effects her headinjury will have.  
  
The man, Vegeta ( odd name, she thought), roughly pulled his hand out of Bulma's grasp. "I thought you said that the scans showed no damage! So she should be able to function properly. So stay out of this woman!"  
  
And he turned his glare back at her, and asked, with a growl: "Name and rank!!!"  
  
She had listened with confusement to the short conversation. When she heard his... command again, she didn't know how to reply. So she said:  
  
"I beg your pardon? I know my name, but my rank?! What kind of nonsense is that?"  
  
"Well, what's your name than?" He snarled at her.  
  
"My name is Ariel MacLean. And I am a student. Is that a rank also?"  
  
She heard gasps from everyone in the room, except maybe from Vegeta and the Green Man.  
  
The last looked somewhat curious, but Vegeta looked enraged. He leaned over her and said very softly, but very dangerously: "Don't play games with me, girl!"  
  
Games!! What the hell was he thinking. She just had it with him, with everyone in this room. So, she pushed him away, with more power than she thought she had, and she struggled to sit upright. Bulma made a move, but she fended her off.  
  
"Hey mister, I don't know who you think you are, but what the hell are you doing?! I don't play games with you. The idea! Do you think me capable of playing games with you, when the only thing I want, is some information, about what happened after the accident! You could start with in which hospital I'm in, what sort of injuries I've suffered, what the consequences will be, but first: where my parents are!!!" She finaly managed to sit up properly, and looked at them.  
  
Everybody looked at her, and nobody said a thing.  
  
"Well?" She said frustrated.  
  
"Uhm, that headinjury is more severe than we anticipated." The 'doctor' said thoughtful, stroking his moustache.  
  
"Well, duh! If I'm seeing green man with antennas in the room, that must be the case than!"  
  
"He is green," said Bulma, " what else would he be. He is a Namek after all."  
  
"Riight," Ariel (A/N yes she does have a name now! Now you people don't have to figure out anymore to whom I'm referring to when I write 'she' !)  
  
"Right, so he is an alien. Okay.... So, you are telling me, that you know this alien, and that it is a very common thing. Um,... how long have I been unconscious? Because before I blacked out, aliens weren't a very common thing on Earth-" "How do you mean, Earth?!" This was asked by that Vegeta, and he appeared to get angrier by the minute.  
  
"Earth like in, planet Earth, where we are all living on."  
  
"Okay, this nonsense has gone far enough, just tell us who you are, and how you have gotten here." Bulma looked at her, Ariel stared back.  
  
"Why don't you believe me? I have told you how I've gotten here: I've been in an accident! And my name is Ariel Maclean. Look at my id. It was in the bag I was carrying when I got into that accident, so I hope that somebody had the common sense to take that along, so people could identify me, and warn my family."  
  
Bulma looked like she was deep in thought. Everybody else just looked at Ariel in confusion.  
  
"How are you feeling now?"  
  
"Well, I have an headache, but I'am not feeling any pain anywhere else."  
  
"Aha, a headache, that is a very common, of course, and it could explain-"  
  
"Yes Dad, I can figure that one out myself, now" Bulma suddenly smiled reassuring at Ariel, " tell us your name again, because it appears that your 'bag' hasn't been found yet."  
  
Ariel frowned, but answered: "My full name is Ariel Deborah Maclean."  
  
"That's a nice name, but it is an human name."  
  
Ariel rolled her eyes: "I'm not even going to respond to that."  
  
"Well, we think it is a little ... er, strange, because, you are not from earth. Actually, you are a Saiyan!  
  
Ariel just stared at Bulma. Then suddenly she yelled: "That's it! Stop it! Of course I'm human. What do you mean with 'Saiyan'! What kind of people are you?! I want a normal, qualified doctor, right now! And where are my parents? Is this some kind of sick joke?!"  
  
Ariel pushed a hand against her forehead, it felt like her head was going to explode. Bulma saw this and tried to get her to lay down: "Relax girl! You must remain calm. We don't know what the extents of your headinjurie are! Dad, where's the sedative I gave you?"  
  
"I don't want to sleep, I want answers!"  
  
Suddenly, Vegeta appeared in front of her, and pushed her effortless back at her bed.  
  
"You want answers? Fine. You crashed two days ago on earth. You are of a race called Saiyan. I am a Saiyan too, your prince as a matter of fact. Where you are now, is Capsule Corporation. So stop whining! It is not befitting to Saiyan, even not to a low class creature like yourself! And stop making up those nonsense about your name-"  
  
"Vegeta, she might be telling us the truth!" Suddenly everybody looked startled at the Green Man, as Ariel had titled him. He actually looked a tiny bit surprised himself. Then he frowned and looked down at his crossed arms. Then he looked up at them. I just heard something from Dende. He said he had some important news about this girl. Apparently, she isn't what she appears to be. He quickly raised his hand to stop any questions.  
  
"She isn't dangerous at all, Dende insured me. The news he recieved came from King Kai and King Enma. But, before he will tell us more, he wants to speak with the girl first. So, is it safe to move her?"  
  
"Well, we still don't know exactly how much the headwound will effect her, and the-"  
  
"Bulma, you said she was perfectly fine."  
  
"Yes, and that is amazing, considering her crash, but..."  
  
"If there are any futher injuries or complications, I'm sure Dende can deal with them. Now, I will take her to Dende-"  
  
"You can't!" Bulma shrieked (everybody flinched, but ignored her).  
  
Vegeta was also apparently not too pleased with the way things were going, but he was not so easily to ignore. He was very angry, and it seemed like it actually radiated of off him. It kinf of pushed Ariel deeper in her bed. What was going on?  
  
All the people in the room took a stap back, even Bulma. Only the Green Man stood his ground, and looked Vegeta straight in the eyes.  
  
"She is a siayan, which means she is my subject, and so I decide if she's going to Dende!"  
  
Who did he think he was, asked Ariel herself, she had never met somebody that arrogant, and domineering and short-tempered and... Well, she surely didn't like him!  
  
The Green Man just marched to Ariel and reached for her. Ariel didn't really know if this was such a good idea; an unknown green man, with antennas was planning to take her to see some other man she also didn't know. Could she trust him? Any of them?  
  
"Ehm, I would feel much better if you could just tell me what's going on?"  
  
The Green man looked reassuringly at her when he heard her soft question. The poor girl was very disstressed and confused. Still, he thought, she did handle it quite well so far.  
  
"Girl, er... Ariel, everything will be explained when we are at the Lookout." Seeing Ariel confused look, he said: "At Dende's."  
  
"Can I wait for my... I guess you haven't called my parents." Ariel felt really confused inside. What was going on?  
  
The Green Man suddenly rested his hand on her shoulder, and squeezed it softly. Then he stretched his hand out.  
  
While she was thinking about it, Vegeta opened his mouth: "What the hell do you think you're doing! Don't even think about touching her, Namek, or face the consequences!"  
  
That did it. Everything was better than staying with this arrogant maniac with his crazy ideas.  
  
So she grapped the green hand. The Green Man pulled her up with no trouble at all. Ariel tried to stand, but her legs buckled, and she slid to the floor.  
  
Bulma rushed forward, trying to help her, when she suddenly noticed a long, red, fluffy thing, which dragged behind her. She grabbed it and held it up close to examine it. "What is this," she asked. When she looked up at the others, she noticed that Vegeta's eyes were glued to it. She looked to Bulma.  
  
"Well," she said, "it's your tail of course."  
  
"My tail!?!"  
  
  
  
A/N: so that was chapter 1. Any questions, remarks, complaints or just some praise ( yes, I do keep fooling myself)? Let me know 


	3. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ.  
Another Chance  
Chapter 2  
  
"My tail!? How do you mean?! I don't have a tail!"  
  
"Ehm, it comes with the saiyan-thing, Ariel, " Bulma told her quietly.  
  
"Still, I do not have a tail!"  
  
"I do have one too," Vegeta smirked at her, and his dark brown belt unwinded from his waist, and it sort of stood behind him, swaying lightly, like a cat's tail. "See?"  
  
"Now, that's a comforting thought," Ariel murmured softly. Still, apparently Vegeta had heard her, because he glared darkly at her. 'Oops.'  
  
Ariel started to fidget under his dark glare, but was suddenly relieved of it when the short, noseless man spoke up: "Hey, Vegeta, I didn't know your tail had grown back! A good thing we don't have the moon anymore."  
  
"Stupid fool, I can control my transformation, unlike some other people," said he with a sneer.  
  
Transformation? Ariel didn't like the sound of it. She looked once more at her tail. "Why is mine red?"  
  
"Because your hair is red too. Quite an unusual color for a Saiyan, right, Vegeta?" Bulma looked questionally at Vegeta, who only grunted a response.  
  
"My hair's r-red? How?"  
  
Everybody looked at her.  
  
"I mean, I don't have red hair. My hair has a very normal brown color. Nothing special."  
  
"That's interesting... Bulma, dear, do you have a mirror?" The old doctor looked thoughtfully at Ariel.  
  
"Of course," she replied and searched her desk, "here it is." She walked towards Ariel, and handed it to her.  
  
"Wait, maybe that's not such a good idea-" But Piccolo was too late.  
  
Ariel had taken a look in the mirror. And once again, she was speechless. The face staring back at her, she didn't recognize it at all. How was this possible? What happened?  
  
"This is not me. This is not my face. What did you people do to me?" Ariel felt like crying or throwing a fit. She wasn't herself anymore! When she looked down at her body, covered in a large shirt and some shorts, she noticed that she had shrunk too.  
  
Again, it was Piccolo who came to her aid. He had seen how frightened she had become when she looked into the mirror. The girl clearly didn't recognize herself. How sooner this girl had some answers, the sooner she would get some peace of mind. He pulled at her hand; which he had held the whole time. She looked up at him, and gave him an insecure smile. "Are we going now?"  
  
Piccolo reached down and lifted the girl up. She was very light, too light. 'She probably has malnutricion,' he thought by himself.  
  
He walked out of the room, and exited the large building. Vegeta was following him closely.  
  
Ariel looked around in wonder. They were standing in the middle of a large compound, with several dome-shaped buildings. She had never seen anything like it. Suddenly she saw something moving out of the corner of her eyes. She looked at it, and blinked: it was a flying car! Actually, it was more like a hovering car, but still!  
  
"Hey, are we going to use that to get to Dende?"  
  
Piccolo looked at the aircar, and cringed. He mumbled something.  
  
"Sorry?"  
  
"I don't have a driver's licence."  
  
"Oh..."  
  
"Beside, you can't reach Dende by car. He doesn't live on land."  
  
"So... he lives on a boat, or something?"  
  
Piccolo smirked. "Not really. He actually lives somewhere up there."  
  
"In the sky?!" Ariel looked up, unable to believe it. "Are you kidding me?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Well, we need a plane then, or a helicopter."  
  
"No, we don't need them."  
  
Ariel took a good look at Piccolo. "This isn't very funny, Piccolo." She sounded really tired all of a sudden.  
  
"Sorry." He tightened his hold on her, and said: "Put your arms around my neck, and hold on."  
  
"What?!"  
  
"Just do it."  
  
Ariel was in doubt. What was he doing?  
  
"Can't you just hurry up? Or if you aren't comfortable flying with him, you are welcome to fly with me." Vegeta stood there, arms crossed, tapping his foot impatiently.  
  
"F-Flying?"  
  
Piccolo said nothing, but suddenly jumped up in the air, and shot off, with a geat speed.  
  
"Aieeeeeh," Ariel shrieked, and threw her arms around Piccolo's neck, nearly choking him. She closed her eyes, because everything was a blur, and it was making her dizzy. "This isn't happening. This isn't happening." She chanted.  
  
Piccolo heard her, and had to surpress a laugh. "Are you all right?"  
  
She didn't open her eyes, but still answered: "What do you think?! You are just doing something that defies every law of nature, and you're taking me with you!"  
  
This time he chuckled.  
  
"Not funny." Ariel pressed her face against his shirt, not caring if he would be offended or not. She started to feel really dizzy now.  
  
"Do you mind if I pass out?" She mumbled.  
  
"What the-," Piccolo looked down at the girl, but she was already out. 'Poor thing, I guess this was just to much for her.'  
"- lost consciousness when we were flying. I guess all the surprises she had were just to much for her."  
  
"Pathetic weakling."  
  
"And why did you have to come along, Vegeta? You're only making this harder for her, with the way you're acting."  
  
"You can't order me around Namek."  
  
"And you can't order her around!"  
  
"I'm her prince! Of course I can order her around!"  
  
"She's her own person!"  
  
"Vegeta, Piccolo, please."  
  
Hey, that was a voice that she hadn't heard before. Would that be Dende? Maybe it was time to wake up completely. She had tried to concentrate on her surroundings, but the only things she heard was the constant bickering between Piccolo and Vegeta. Why was Vegeta here? She had to agree with Piccolo; Vegeta was acting like a jerk! No way he could order her around!  
  
"Mmm, wha-"  
  
"Just take it easy, Ariel."  
  
Ariel opened her eyes, and looked straight into another green face. Only, this was the face of a boy, though he looked quite like Piccolo.  
  
"Uhm, hi! Are you Dende?"  
  
"Yes, nice to meet you."  
  
"Nice to meet you too."  
  
"How are you feeling, now that you've had some rest?"  
  
"How long have I been asleep?"  
  
"Oh, for about two hours."  
  
"I didn't mean to pass out you know, but hey, we were flying."  
  
"Ah, yes, quite the surprise, eh?"  
  
"This is all so very strange, but Piccolo said, you could explain it all."  
  
"Well, I can explain only part of it. Most of this is a mystery to me. I only know what King Kai told me, and he heard it from King Yemna."  
  
"Who are they?"  
  
"Gods who live in the afterlife. King Kai is a god who kind of gives lesson in fighting techniques, and King Yemna, well, he judges the souls of the dead."  
  
"You know about the afterlife? How?"  
  
"well, some people are in contact with it, some people came back to life..."  
  
Dende looked at Ariel, and saw him staring at him, with a hint of panic on her face. He quickly decided to change the subject.  
  
"Now, Ariel, I'm very happy that you're here now, because your arrival here, in this dimension, is very unusual. Actually, it has never occured before. The powers that have sent you to us, sure have a reason for doing it so. How, and why, we do not know exactly, and I think time will only tell us."  
  
"Hold on, you're telling me, that you don't know why I'm here? No, stop," Ariel shaked her head, "first tell me, where am I?"  
  
"Yes, sorry. Maybe I should start with that: You had gotten in a accident, where you were hit by a car. You... you died in that accident, Ariel." Dende looked worried at Ariel; she had become quite pale. "Your spirit, or consiousness, as some people like to call it, passed on to the afterlife. And there something extremely remarkable happened. Apparently, you were special; they saw something in you, that would be wasted, if you were to go to rest. That, and you are so young-"  
  
"A lot of young people die; do they all end up here?" Ariel asked sarcasticly.  
  
"I know it sounds confusing, strange, but let me continue. They decided, that you deserved a second chance at life, and they decided that a dimension like ours is in need for people like you. So, you are now in another dimension, or, another reality. You see, they are many different realities, and normally, they are comletely seperated from eachother."  
  
"That's all very nice, but how did I ended up in this...this," she gestured at her own form, "this body!"  
  
"It's the body of a Saiyan girl, and she has died many years ago, while floating in space. But the body was in perfect state, due to the hypersleep it was in. They decided it was the perfect body for your spirit, and the purpose you now serve."  
  
"A purpose? What purpose?" It was Vegeta who asked this. He looked somewhat surprised at all that had been revealed so far.  
  
"We do not know. But her Saiyan body is a hint, and another is that she has been allowed to keep her memories of her first life. But I don't have a clue how to interpret them."  
  
"So, you are saying that I've died, and that somehow, I've, ehm, reincarnated in this body, and that now I have a new purpose, although it is completely unclear what kind of purpose that will be." She had said that all very softly and slowly, as so it would make more sense to her. But it didn't.  
  
"It also means," now her voice started to rise, " that I will never see my parents again, or my family, or my friends. It means, that I have to completely rebuild my life, in a world I do not know, nor do I know anyone in it." Ariel felt angry, confused, but above all terribly sad. She would never see them again... Her parents. Her sisters. Her best friends . They people she cared the most for. Gone, just like that, with no chance to ever see them again in this life. And she was lost to them too; dead, killed in a stupid accident. But they would never know she was living on in a different dimension; they would grieve over her, probably for a very long time, maybe for the rest of their lives, just like she would, but.... they would have to let her go, but could she? Because she would always be reminded at the fact that they were still alive, somewhere. But she would not have a part anymore in their lives. Ariel felt tears coming fast, and she had a lump in her throat. Would she never see them again? Never? Or maybe... in heaven? When they were all dead? Or would she be kept seperated from them? Was there an heaven at all? She started to cry silently, choking on her tears.  
  
Dende seated himself next to her, and put an arm around her, pulling her towards him. She kept crying silently, but her body shook from the force of her sorrow.  
  
Dende looked at her sadly; when he heard about her, and her story for the first time, he had been exited and curious; after all, he had said it himself; this was very unique. But he had never thought about how she would think about it, how she would react, what she would feel. This was going to be a very difficult for her; to adapt to her new life, and trying to come terms with it. She would need guidance and comfort and friendship, and he would try to give them to her. And when he looked at Piccolo, he knew that he, behind his stoic mask, was worried about her too. And then, there was Vegeta. He would surely demand a role in her life, for she was of Saiyan blood, and that brought him to another problem.  
  
She was Saiyan by body, and that would give some problems. She would have to learn to control the powers that came with the race. But also, she would have really strong instincts; those would, at times, collide with her reasonal, human, mind. Vegeta would have to help her understand them, and how to use them. He would probably jump at the chance.  
  
Dende was pulled out of his thoughts, when the girl suddenly moved away from him. She wept away the tears, and although a few sobs still escaped her, she tried to smile. "Sorry, I didn't mean to do that. It was just, I just...," she sighed deeply.  
  
"There's no need to apologize. And ignore everybody else who's telling you otherwise," Piccolo said that with a dark look at a muttering Vegeta, who sneered at him. "Got a problem, Greenbean?"  
  
Piccolo wisely didn't respond to Vegeta. "I think none of us can clearly see the consequences of the things that happened. But don't think that you're alone in this. Dende will do anything in his power to make you feel comfortable here. And I will keep an eye on you too. And I'm sure that others will be happy to help you adjust to our world."  
  
"Yes," said Dende, "I'll be delighted to help you! And this world is so very different than your world! There are so many new things for you to learn." Dende suddenly frowned. "Sorry, that must sound really insensitive. I'm not trying to belittle your sorrow, but I... Err..."  
  
Ariel smiled at him, surprising Dende. "I do not think that you're trying to belittle me, or my sorrow either. You just want to give me a diversion, and I think that's a great idea. And, I have to realize, life goes on, wether I want it to, or not. I mean, I can't just lie down and die, right?" She tried to joke, only failing miserably. She sighed deeply.  
  
"We are going to do the best we can, and I can tell you this; in time, it will be easier."  
  
"Yeah," she spoke softly, "I hope."  
A/N The second chapter done. I know, it is not much; no action and all. And how I wanted to describe Ariel feelings... well, it certainly didn't turn out on paper like I wanted. I'm trying to establish some kind of background for this story. The next chapter will (hopefully) contain more action, and some other characters! Anyway, please tell me what you people think of it (= REVIEW)! And I want to thank Majin Youkai, for being my first reviewer! 


	4. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ. Don't sue please.  
Another Chance  
  
Chapter 3  
  
Everyone was silent for a moment. Then suddenly, a door opened. Ariel was a little surprised; she hadn't realized they were in a room. She could see the bright blue sky, and they were surrounded with all kind of plants and flowers. We're on some kind of patio, Ariel thought.  
  
"Would anyone like some tea?" A man, clad like he stepped right out of 'Aladin', with black skin, smiled friendly at her.  
  
"Yes, please," Ariel smiled back.  
  
"Ah, a Saiyan with manners! That's a nice change!"  
  
Ariel had to laugh; Vegeta looked positively livid, and Piccolo was obviously mocking him. And then, once again, they were locked in a battle of throwing insults.  
  
"Let's take it outside, Namek! Let's see if you fight as well as you talk!"  
  
Ariel rolled her eyes, and asked Dende softly: "Is he always like this?"  
  
"Unfortunatly, yes..."  
  
Vegeta then looked at them: "You, girl, do not try me. I can do things to you that would make you wish you had never said a single word!"  
  
Ariel was dumbfounded, for a moment. Then she glared at him. "You know, you're really an psycho! Better leave me alone!"  
  
"No, I won't leave you alone!"  
  
"That's...that's creepy! You know, where I come from, I could have you arrested for stalking or something!"  
  
"Really," he sneered, "well, where I come from, I could have you killed for disobeing your prince! But, considering you're the only female Saiyan left, I have to take other... measures... to make you understand."  
  
"Vegeta!" Dende looked sternly at Vegeta, "it will you do no good to treat her that way; remember, although she is Saiyan in her physical form, mentally she's human. So, she doesn't know anything about Saiyan customs, social structure and rangs. It's better to keep that in mind."  
  
Vegeta narrowed his eyes, and took a step towards Dende. Piccolo quickly stood before him. "Don't even think about it."  
  
Vegeta smiled cruelly. "And what would you do about it? I am by far your superior. You don't stand a chance against me."  
  
"Be reasonable, Vegeta."  
  
"Fine, but if one of you eve talk that way to me again, you'll face the consequences.  
  
With that said, Vegeta walked to a corner of the large garden, where he leaned back in the shadows. Ariel had follwed the whole conversation with growing anxiety. Surely, Vegeta was arrogant, stating all that, but Piccolo respected him, and Dende too, maybe even feared him, although just a little... What could he do, that he was so sure of himself. These people were full of mysteries; maybe it all had something to do with their flying capabilities? She could only guess... But she would find out soon, she thought.  
  
Dende saw Ariel's worried expression.  
  
"What's wrong?"  
  
"I don't really understand you. There's something about you, and Piccolo and Vegeta, which I don't get..."  
  
"Ah," Dende smiled, "you mean our ki."  
  
"Ki?"  
  
"That's how we call it. Ki is kind of our lifeforce. Every living being has it. Only, some are in better contact, and control, then others. Some also have larger ki than others. You can also train your ki, so you can use it."  
  
"Use it for what? Flying?"  
  
"Exactly. And there are some other uses. If you have enough ki, and have a good control over it, you can manifest it outside your body. It can come in different forms, and how stronger your ki is, the stronger the ki outside your body is... Many use it in fights, using ki-attacks. It can be very destructive. That's why, you will have some training to do. Because you are a Saiyan, you have quite some ki. You have to learn how to control it, so you won't hurt people;because, when you feel a strong emotion, like rage, it could come out like a sort of ki-attack, even though you don't mean to. You could hurt many people by accident."  
  
"Excuse me, what is a Saiyan? Apparently, I am one, and Vegeta is too. And I have heard some things about them, not all good, I can say. Oh, I do know one thing," she grapped the furry appendix, and held it up, "they have tails."  
  
"Yes, they do. Saiyans are a race of warriors, and lived on a planet called Vegeta, named after their kings. Some years ago, a tyrant called Frieza destroyed the planet, also nearly destroying the race. Only a few were left. One of them was their prince, Vegeta. He lived for years serving under Frieza, but secretely he was planning a revolt-"  
  
"More like revenge. Plain, simple revenge." Vegeta stated it in a toneless voice, never looking at them.  
  
"Erm, ok. For his... revenge, he gathered all the Saiyans left alive. So, he sent Radditz for his younger brother, who was sent to earth when he was a baby to purge this planet-"  
  
"Purge? What do you mean with 'purge'?  
  
"Destroying all intelligent live on the planet, making it ready to be sold to the highest bidder, usually a race who had used up all the natural resources on their homeplanet. My father and Frieza had an 'alliance', and purging was one of the things the Saiyan's had to do, to keep their end of the bargain. Saiyan children were sent in space pods to planets to purge them. They were picked up after the job was done."  
  
Ariel looked shocked. 'You mean, they killed countless of people, so the planet could be sold? Didn't anybody cared what happened to those people?" Ariel shuddered.  
  
"No. They weak die, and the strong survive."  
  
"Maybe you have taken Darwin's 'Origin of species' a bit to literally?" Ariel muttered under her breath, earning strange looks.  
  
"Right... As I was saying, Radditz was sent by Vegeta to earth to retrieve his little brother Goku, to the Saiyans known as Kakarot. Goku was sent here on the eve of the destruction of Vegetasei, and apparently, reports of this purge were lost, because Frieza never sent anyone to kill Goku. Because that was what he did to the Saiyan children who were sent to purge; he sent some of his men to kill them after they completed the job. Frieza actually feared the strenght of the Saiyans, he feared that one day, they would overpower him. He was afraid of the Legend of the Super-Saiyan. He took precautions by destroying the entire race, save the prince, which he found had some promising capabilities."  
  
"He liked to save a few, just so he could keep having his fun with us."  
  
"Fun?" Ariel asked, even though she wasn't sure she wanted to hear the answer.  
  
Vegeta shifted his body somewhat, so he could look straight into her eyes. "Yes, fun. He liked to humiliate us, sending us on missions that we couldn't finish in the given amount of time, just so he would have another excuse to ridicule and punish us. Punishment always ended with spending a nice amount of time in a Regeneration Tank. But I won't burden you with the details. I think some are a bit hard to stomach for you..."  
  
I did asked for it, didn't I, she thought by herself. "Well, thank you for your explanation."  
  
Vegeta just looked at her. "Any time."  
  
"Ok," Ariel said: "What exactly is a Super-Saiyan?"  
  
"A Saiyan can become a Super-Saiyan, when he reached a certain level of strenght. Then, all that is needed is a trigger; some kind of emotional turmoil, to unleash his power. His power increases ...fold. A Super- Saiyan's hair turns gold, and his eyes a kind of greenish blue. That are the most striking chances."  
  
"Can that really happen?"  
  
"It can," Dende quickly reassured her, "because several Saiyans reached that level, one of them is Vegeta. And they even attained higher levels of power. But, I'll explain that later. Let me finish my story first." Dende quickly told her the whole story, in a very summarized version, and Ariel listened on with growing amazement, and confusement. How could all this happen. It sounded all so unreal to her; the power some beings could assemble, and how much happened to this earth, and the universe as a whole. It dazzled her.  
  
Dende concluded his story by telling the end of the so called 'Cell Games': "...and since then, the world is living in peace. But it's only time before something happens again."  
  
"So... I was next?" Ariel tried to joke.But she really didn't feel like joking right now. She felt totally lost. How was she ever supposed to build a life in this crazy world?  
  
"I do not think you are a danger to us or to the world! It's quite the opposite. I don't know how, or when, or why, but your presence here, in this dimension, it's a good thing."  
  
"Well, I'm glad that you don't see me as a threat."  
  
Dende smiled at her. "Never. Now, did you have any questions about the things I've just told you? It must seem so strange and far-fetched for you."  
  
"It sure does... I don't have any questions right now, but I'm sure I will have them, once it all starts to sink in. But those dragonballs... Unbelievable..."  
  
"Don't hesitate to ask us anything. Even if I have to retell everything ten times, I wil do it gladly. Now, I hope everything has become somewhat clearer to you, although I think you still have many questions. Don't hesitate to ask anyone. I'm sure everyone will be glad to be of service. I do believe we must think now about some practical issues. For one, where will you stay?"  
  
"Uhm, good question."  
  
"She stays at Capsule Corp, of course."  
  
"Mmm, that might be an option, but..."  
  
"You don't have a say in this. I will train the girl, therefore, it's the most practical solution."  
  
Ariel didn't really like the idea of living in the same building as Vegeta. He surely had some control issues. And being trained by him...  
  
"Capsule Corp... was that the building where I woke up?"  
  
"That building is part of Capsule Corp. Capsule Corp is a very large company, and the woman and 'doctor' you have met earlier, are the owners. They have invented a lot of things that you have never seen before, I'm sure." Piccolo looked somewhat thoughtful, "Bulma would probably love to have you in her home. Another specimen of an alien race to study."  
  
Ariel immediatly responded to that: "Uhm, I don't really like to be studied. I'm not some kind of guinnea pig or something."  
  
Piccolo was quick to agree to that. It was an excuse, he knew that. She didn't dare to say no to Vegeta's obvious command. Maybe she was worried that he would throw a fit or something. Sometimes, he acted like a spoiled brat! Piccolo snorted.  
  
"Of course not. But, maybe it is wise to go back to Capsule Corp first. From there, we can figure out what to do. Maybe you can stay here, at the Lookout. I think Dende won't have a problem with that."  
  
"Of course not, I would be delighted."  
  
"Absolutely not," Vegeta hissed, "I will not let her stay here, and let her mind be filled with all kind of nonsense!"  
  
"Relax, Vegeta. Nothing has been decided yet. Now, shall we return to Capsule Corp. I bet the rest is waiting for more news." Piccolo moved towards Ariel and helped her up. She looked at him. "Are we going to fly again?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Ohh... well, that's ok. I mean, if that's the way you guys travel, I better get used to it. And besides, I always liked a rollercoaster ride, so I think I will eventually like it. You know, when I get over the whole 'I- can-fall-to-my-death-if-you-let-go-of-me' thing."  
  
"Don't worry, I won't drop you."  
  
"Can't we just get a move on?"  
  
"Wait! I have just one more question. I heard that little man say something about tails and... transformations?!"  
  
Vegeta grunted. "Saiyans with a tail can transform in the light of the full moon in their animal form, which is called Oozaru. Basicly, it is a giant monkey, and your power is increased tenfold." (A/N Am I doing the right math here? I totally suck at it so... If this is wrong, please let me know.)  
  
Ariel looked a little pale. "You mean, once every four weeks, I change into King Kong?"  
  
"I don't know who this 'King Kong' is, but you don't have to worry yourself about it. I destroyed the moon." Piccolo reassured her.  
  
"Oh, but do you have forgotten about the way we can imitate the light of a full moon? It is sometimes very convenient." Vegeta chuckled at seeing the look of terror on Ariel's face.  
  
"Don't you come anywhere near me!" Ariel backed up a few steps.  
  
"Don't worry, girl. You have first some training to do, before you can transform without going on a rampage. I will decide when the time is right."  
  
"I do have a say in this, ok?! And I don't really want to transform into anything. You go ahead, but count me out!"  
  
Vegeta chuckled again: "We'll see about that."  
  
"Right... Vegeta, leave the girl be. Let's get a move on." Piccolo walked outside, with Ariel on his heels. When they came outside, she gasped: there was nothing to be seen, only the bright blue sky. She walked somewhat closer to the egde of the platform. She could very faintly see the earth. "Wow, it's very high up here. Luckily, I'm not afraid of heights,... well, " she looked a little bit uncertainly down at the earth, "usually I'm not..."  
  
"Well then, there's no need to stay here," with that said, Vegeta moved in, lifted Ariel up in his arms and jumped off the Lookout.  
  
"WHAT?!! AAAH! VEGETA!!!!" Ariel shrieked, and clamped both her arms around Vegeta's neck, and burried her head into his chest. She heard him chuckle softly.  
  
"You just wait! When we get down there I'm going to kill you!" She only heard more chuckles. "I really hate you for this! And don't you dare to drop me!"  
  
"Relax. Just enjoy the ride."  
  
"You... ARGH!" Ariel was so mad, and yet so freightened by his sudden stunt, that she couldn't think of a decent insult to throw at him. She peeked at the ground, but when she saw the ground coming at her with a freightening speed, she once again hid her face against his chest.  
  
"I really hate you," she mumbled. Vegeta heard her, and tightened his grip on her.  
  
"Silly girl. Why would you hate me?"  
  
"What? Do you have to ask?! Are you oblivious or something? The way you're treating me, or everyone else for that matter, isn't exactly the way to make friends!" She practicly yelled that.  
  
"Where do I need friends for? Friendship, feh. You weaklings call it friendship, giving a nice name to the fact that you need those people to survive. Me, I don't need anyone to survive."  
  
"You have a pretty lonely live, then." Ariel stated. The only answer Vegeta gave was a snort.  
  
She dared to take another look down. They appeared to be flying horizontally now, but still with great speed.  
  
"Are we almost there yet?" Ariel asked.  
  
"Almost."  
  
"Ok."  
Suddenly, Vegeta began to descend, and soon, they were on solid ground again. But he still held her up in his arms.  
  
"Ahum, can you put me down now?"  
  
"Are you sure? I think this is quite cozy."  
  
Ariel looked completely baffled. "C-cozy?" She tried to stiffle her laughter, but she didn't succeeded well. When she finally gave up her attempts, and burst out in a fit of giggles. Vegeta abruptly dropped her.  
  
"Don't you dare laugh at me!"  
  
"Cozy?" *gniffle* "Are you sure you know that word?" And she succumbed to another fit of laughter. The word 'cozy' coming out of him, it was just hilaric.  
  
"Hm," Vegeta glared at her, then turned around, and started to walk towards a building she recognized.  
  
She stood up, and wanted to go after him, when suddenly Piccolo landed next to her.  
  
"Are you alright?" Piccolo looked worried at her.  
  
She smiled, touched by his concern. "Yes, I'm ok. A little bit shaken..."  
  
"Good. When I saw him jumping off the Lookout with you, I thought he was planning on giving you your first lesson in flying."  
  
"He didn't. I think he knows that if he tried anything like, you know, drop me, that I would never, ever, talk to him again. If I had survived, that is."  
  
He chuckled. "He's not totally stupid."  
  
Ariel lifted her eyebrows as to say 'are you sure?'  
  
Piccolo chuckled some more. "Come on, and we'll get you introduced to some people."  
  
Ariel looked a little anxious.  
  
"Relax. You have survived Vegeta. You can handle anything."  
  
"Uhh... ok." Ariel followed Piccolo, but still felt a little anxious. She wasn't really looking forward to meeting new people. Ok, she had seen some of them before, but they had been wary of her, and she had not liked the look in their eyes, regarding her like some dangerous animal.  
  
Piccolo noticed her hesitating. "Come on, they won't bite."  
  
Ariel swallowed, and stepped inside the building. Inside there were people, who were obviously waiting for her. Some were talking softly, but when she came in, everyone fell silent. Then, everyone started to talk at once.  
  
"Quiet!" Someone shrieked. Ariel winced. Did she have to be so loud? She looked at owner of the voice. It was the blue-haired woman again, Bulma.  
  
"Ok," Bulma said, taking charge, "we are all dying to know what's going on, even more so after he," she pointed to Vegeta who was leaning against the wall, arms crossed, " was kind enough to give us a few meaningless answers. So, what the hell is going on?!" She yelled, making everybody in the room cringe.  
  
"Woman, stop your shrieking! Be a little less annoying."  
  
Bulma didn't acknowlegde Vegeta, but she flushed a little. Wether she was embarresed or angry, Ariel couldn't tell.  
  
"Well, come on!"  
  
"Calm down. Be quiet and we'll tell you." Piccolo snapped at Bulma. Apparently he hadn't much patience with her. Bulma frowned, but did keep her mouth.  
  
"Now, you can-" Piccolo was interrupted when suddenly the door opened, and a woman, a teenager and two small boys walked inside.  
  
"Finally, we're here. It took hours to get here. Hi mom, dad!" One of the boys, with short lavender coloured hair, spoke up, and he waved at Bulma and at ... Vegeta? Ariel was stunned. Dad? He was a father? Now that was a very interesting development!  
  
"Oh, hi Trunks, " Bulma said absently. But Vegeta didn't even acknowledge him. The boy, Trunks, didn't seem to notice.  
  
"Yeah, mom! If only we would have flown a little faster than 8 miles per hour, we would have been here hours ago," piped the other boy up. He had black spiky hair. His mother looked rather peeved.  
  
"I think we went fast enough!! Remeber, we could have walked." The woman looked rather annoyed. "Ok, we're here. So, where is she?"  
  
The woman looked around. It gave Ariel some time to study her. She had black hair, which was twisted in a knot, and she was wearing rather weird looking clothes; wide pants which were mostly covered by a tunic of some kind. She had a frown on her face, and looked rather impatient.  
  
The woman finally spotted Ariel, who stood half hidden behind Piccolo. "So, that's the female Saiyan you are all so afraid of?" The woman snorted. "Look at her! She's shorter than Vegeta (who looked pretty pissed off), and she looks quite uncomfortable. Actually, she looks like a pretty decent person to me."  
  
Ariel smiled at the woman. She looked decent? She could live with that.  
  
"So, what's your name?"  
  
"Ariel. Ariel MacLean.   
  
"That doesn't sound like a Saiyan name."  
  
"No, it doesn't. And if you shut up, I can tell you what the deal is."  
  
"I think Ariel is a pretty name!" The little blue haired boy said softly.  
  
"Ahem! I'm sure that's the genral opinion here, but can we get down to business now," asked Bulma impatiently.  
  
"Gladly," Piccolo snarled, "now, I'll make things short, since no one seems to be able to keep his mouth shut for a minute! Ariel is not what you believe she is. Yes, she has a Saiyan body, but the spirit, or soul, that's human. She lived in a very different dimension, but she died there, in a accident. Powers, that are far beyond our knowledge, wouldn't let her go to waist; apparently, she's something special. She has come here, with a purpose, although nobody, not even King Kai and Dende, know what kind of purpose that is. Now, she has to learn to live with her new body, and with her new live! I expect that everyone will help her, and not bother her with stupid questions. Let her get used to this, to us, at her own pace." Piccolo eyed Vegeta, who smirked back at him.  
  
"See," said the woman, "nothing to fear."  
  
"Indeed, ChiChi. Nothing to fear. And now I think it's time for some introductions, because you all know her, but she doesn't know you."  
  
"Ok. Hi, I'm ChiChi. And this are my two sons," she pointed at the teenager and the black haired boy, "Gohan and Goten."  
  
Gohan smiled friendly at her: "Hi! Nice to meet you!"  
  
"Yeah," said his little brother, "we heard all about you, but you don't seem like an evil guy, err, girl!"  
  
"Goten!" His mother said sternly.  
  
"Sorry mom."  
  
"I'm Trunks, and Bulma is my mother, and Vegeta is my father, and that man over there is my Grandpa, and the lady next to him my Grandma!" Trunks pointed enthusiasticly at his family.  
  
Bulma smiled somewhat at Ariel. "I'm glad we meet again, under better circumstances. Luckily you're not hysteric anymore."  
  
Ariel looked at the woman, not believing what she just said. Yes, she had been upset, but not hysteric. Ariel said coldly: "No, I'm not."  
  
"There are more people to meet," ChiChi said quickly, and she introduced her to the rest of the small crowd. She came to know the noseless man as Krillin, who had a beautiful girlfriend named Eighteen. There was the scarred man, Yamcha, and the three eyed man with his small friend, Tien and Chiaotzu. They all looked at her, trying to determine what she was.  
  
It was Krillin who stepped forward and extended his hand. Ariel took it, and smiled gratefully at him. Krillin grinned back. "Well, if Piccolo says you're okay, then I guess you are."  
  
"Thanks," Ariel said happily. Maybe they weren't so bad after all.  
Ok, Chapter 3 done. How did you like it? (Let me know!) I hope you have gotten through it all. It was certainly a long chapter (for me, that is), and that's also the reason for the delay. That, and my little sister who has occupied the computer for the last week. For schoolwork. I hate the Second Fase (a new way of learning and teaching the ministery has come up with to make school even harder for the students. Don't come and do highschool in Holland! You are warned!) I am saving, to get myself a labtop. I finally have a goal in my life.  
  
Ok, enough rambling. I like to thank everyone who's reading this story and told me what they thought. THANKS!!!  
  
I've been playing around with the idea of finding someone who wants to beta my stories. Someone who can point out the errors in my grammar, and who gives my hints about my work. So, if anyone's interested... let me know. 


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